1
as in lair
the shelter or resting place of a wild animal the foxes hid in their den until the bear finally left the area

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2
as in hideout
a place where a person goes to hide or to avoid others an abandoned building that is often used as a den by the city's petty criminals

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of den Courtesy of Behr Paints Behr’s pick is an optimal choice for homeowners who desire a bolder choice in a room—a bedroom, living room or a den. R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025 Presently, my then-one-year-old son toddled into the room and proceeded to smear his sticky hands all over the walls of our den. Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 26 Aug. 2025 The original 2600's black ridges and wood paneling may evoke the feeling of a thick CRTV sitting in a warm den. PC Magazine, 25 Aug. 2025 On August 20, 1989, the two brothers rushed into the den of home and fatally shot their parents multiple times. Matthew J. Friedman, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for den
Recent Examples of Synonyms for den
Noun
  • Cheetah cubs spend their first two months hidden in a lair while their mother hunts.
    Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
  • Somehow this ineptly plotted affair lured Keke Palmer into its lair and her comedy chops all but gets handcuffed by an illogical, unfunny screenplay.
    Randy Myers, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • During the 1880s, the brothers lived here and made their livelihood rustling cattle and horses, while at the same time disposing of unsuspecting ranchers who wandered too close to their hideout.
    Patti Nickell, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
  • If this were true, Solomon would learn all of this elder’s secret hideouts and survival tricks, resulting in a formidable pair for any hunter to take on.
    Jim Tschetter, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Twenty years later, the city had 30 nests.
    Tom Langen, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Remnants of concrete German artillery bunkers and machine gun nests litter the coastline.
    Jim Clash, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The house is haunted by a family of farmers that lived and died on the land, murdered horribly by the patriarch of the family, but really, the problem is the demon that controls the mirror and its dark reflections.
    Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • The couple still live in separate houses but eat dinner together most nights.
    Duaa Eldeib, ProPublica, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • While temperatures on the surface rise and fall throughout the day, peaking in the heat of the afternoon and then cooling down in the nighttime, the temperature inside a burrow remains relatively constant.
    John Leos, AZCentral.com, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Still, they're named for their habit of using crayfish burrows that are mostly abandoned.
    Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 3 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Den.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/den. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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